Well it’s that time of year again! Time for car manufacturers to release their new 2004 line of vehicles. This year is big for Mitsubishi with the release of their much anticipated 9th Generation Galant. With two new, more powerful engines and a completely different body style, the 9G is definitely gonna turn some heads.

First off lets take a look under the hood and see what’s pulling this 3500 pound sled. The DE and ES models are surprisingly powered by a 4 pound gerbil and an oversized wheel. Just kidding. The DE and ES models come with a 2.4 liter SOHC 16 valve I4 MIVEC engine that pushes out 160HP@ 5,500 RPM’s. So what exactly is MIVEC you ask ? MIVEC stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control. Still puzzled ? What does it do ? MIVEC is very similar to Honda’s very successful VTEC feature. MIVEC manipulates how your driving the car and accordingly adjusts valve timing and lift for optimum power and efficiency. So this way when your at a stoplight and you got a Honda revving his engine at you, sounding like an oversized weed whacker, you can burn him. When you put the pedal to the floor the car is gonna accelerate fast like your racing, not like it does when your Granny takes it to the grocery store. Both the DE and ES models come with a 4-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control, which allows the transmission to shift slow and smooth at low speeds or fast and hard under high acceleration. The I4 gets 23/30 mpg city/highway respectively.

If all that isn’t enough to keep you happy, take a look at the LS and GTS models. The LS and GTS (formerly GTZ) models come with a 3.8 liter SOHC 24 valve V6 engine that slams down 230HP@ 5,250 RPM’s. Although not equipped with MIVEC, the beefy V6 has enough power to keep you glued to your seat. The V6 engine is mated with a 4-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control (see above) and a Sportronic clutchless manual shift feature. This feature, seen on 3rd Generation Eclipse models, allows the driver to up-shift and down-shift by simply pushing a lever forwards and backwards, respectively. The V6 LS gets 19/27 mpg and the V6 GTS gets 18/26 mpg city/highway respectively.

Now lets move on to the chassis and suspension of the 9G. This year Mitsubishi has implemented its new RISE chassis design. The new Refined Impact Safety Evolution chassis offers a more rigid, safety oriented design which includes steel side-impact door beams and larger crumple zones to protect you in case of collision. However, this doesn’t mean you should go around ramming other cars like it’s a 24-7 demolition derby, although you probably could. You didn’t hear that from me. The 9G comes equipped with independent MacPherson strut suspension up front and Multi-Link suspension with coil springs in the back which will allow you to handle the roughest of pavements.

Next up in line are the braking system and traction control. All 2004 models come with power assisted 4-wheel disc brakes, with ventilated discs up front and solid discs in the rear. Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) are an option for the ES, but come standard on the LS and GTS models. Along with the ABS, you also get EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) which adjusts front and rear brake force depending on driving conditions and traction. Hmmm....speaking of traction, Mitsubishi is offering a traction control system as an option for LS and GTS models equipped with the Sportronic transmission. The system will detect loss of grip and transfer power accordingly to the wheels with grip. This will prove to be a good feature for those weekend warriors who love to tackle winding roads, or for those of you who enjoy dodging run-away shopping carts at your local grocery store.

On the outside of the car, The DE model comes with black side view mirrors, side trim and door handles, but the ES, LS, and GTS models come with color-keyed door handles, power mirrors, and side trim standard. All ES and LS models have an optional sunroof and rear spoiler, which are both standard on the GTS model. The DE, ES, and LS models come with dual bulb halogen headlights with a clear lens. The GTS model comes with a 4 bulb Ellipsoid projector style headlamp with a smoked lens to illuminate the darkest of roads. All models include an integrated rear window antenna. The DE, ES, and LS models come standard with 16" steel wheels with wheel covers. The ES and LS have the option for 16" alloy wheels and the GTS has 17" alloy wheels standard.

All in all I believe that the 9G is an all around nice car. The interior could have been done better, but im glad to see that Mitsubishi is finally stepping up to the plate engine wise. Im not too thrilled about the outside looking like and Altima, but hey to each his own. Im eager to see how compatible the MIVEC head and disc brakes are compared to the 8g, hopefully they will fit andup a new area of mods for 8G owners.

By: Brian DeMasi a.k.a. Stewi